The Defense Minister announced that Canada backs the U.S.’s shooting down of a Chinese balloon

The Defense Minister of Canada, Anita Anand, has stated that the country fully supports the U.S. government’s decision to shoot down a high-altitude surveillance balloon believed to be spying for China.

The balloon had violated U.S. and Canadian airspace and international law.

Anand and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were briefed on the operation by the national security and intelligence advisor and the chief of the defense staff.

Canada has been closely working with the U.S. on the decision, as per Anand’s statement.

The U.S. President, Joe Biden, ordered the downing of the balloon earlier in the week, and the operation was carried out when the balloon moved over water.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has claimed that the balloon was a civilian airship used for meteorological research that deviated from its course due to winds.

Global Affairs Canada summoned the Chinese Ambassador to express disapproval over the balloon’s presence.

The U.S. Secretary of State postponed a planned trip to China, and one of the locations the balloon was spotted was over Montana, where one of America’s three nuclear missile silo fields is located.

The Defense Minister thanked the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) for tracking and analyzing the balloon’s trajectory and ensuring North American air sovereignty.